Oops!

Managed to accidentally cut through the BT line outside the house. It was in the long grass beneath a hedge but I didnt know it wss there! Call raised through BT for repair but could be Wednesday before its fixed. Going to cost £99 To get it fixed.

Guess it just means I will have to find something else to do in this good weather!

In reply to a post by ConorMK:

Managed to accidentally cut through the BT line outside the house. It was in the long grass beneath a hedge but I didnt know it wss there! Call raised through BT for repair but could be Wednesday before its fixed. Going to cost £99 To get it fixed.

Sounds cheap. I thought the wholesale cost of an Openreach visit is £144 inc vat these days.

Ah that's not good , was it a clean cut right through or just slightly? I presume you are managing to use someone elses Internet over the weekend

Price was definitely 99. We shall see.

Nah mate on 3G on my S3

Oh well at least you have that!

I suppose one question is what was the cable doing there in the first place as I am sure that isn't the standard practice

Seems to me that if the cable was in a positions where you could cut it, then it is down to BT to fix an inadequate installation.

There is a cable coming out of the ground to a circular box, which I guess is some sort of termination box. Then there was a white cable coming out from that and it was just on the ground. It seems to me that if they class this as part of the BT network it wasnt all that well protected. Nothing we can do until next week.

You can reconnect the wires with a terminal block and tape up. OpenReach use inline connectors. If you can make a good enough waterproof job, you can save the expense. BT Connector https://imageshack.com/scaled/large/842/ubqr.jpg

In reply to a post by ConorMK:

There is a cable coming out of the ground to a circular box, which I guess is some sort of termination box. Then there was a white cable coming out from that and it was just on the ground. It seems to me that if they class this as part of the BT network it wasnt all that well protected. Nothing we can do until next week.

Sounds like an odd BT 'job' ~ white cable suggests indoors grade twisted pair. When we had to have a new cable laid because BT were the ones that cut ours during a dig to lay to a new ground chamber their initial solution was to run from that chamber and dig up way too much of our garden. No way was I having that so the trenching team created another smaller insert chamber closer to our boundary for a shorter run of cable and this was run through a buried plastic tube buried approx. 18inches down but the cable used was black and relatively think compared to indoors 'grade'.

So hopefully BT will do a good service and not query the strange "setup" that exists now???

Don't think there is enough cable near the box to allow that. Nice idea though

What about a picture of it?

Photo of BT kit outside

No way I would pay for that to be fixed, that is a very easy job to do.

Where are you in the country? if local I would come and replace the broken cable.

I pointed out that it should be a BT responsibility, not the OP

Think I will take the safe option and let BT do it. That way it is done properly.

If it's BT line, it *should* be under the ground and not left danging in the hedge!!

If it was me, I would not be paying for this.

BT line = their responsibilities to ensure it's kept out of way/dug underground.

In reply to a post by hypertony:

If it's BT line, it *should* be under the ground and not left danging in the hedge!!

If it was me, I would not be paying for this.

BT line = their responsibilities to ensure it's kept out of way/dug underground.

I would agree with that!!

If it is routed through the garden, it should be routed in such a way (or depth) as to permit "reasonable"/"routine" gardening activities!

Presumably when it was attached to the wall with the normal clips, the hedge wasn't there. Or haven't you looked at the picture? I suggest the first clip was in the mortar to the right of the second brick up on the right, and the wire continues to the right along the wall lower down.

It isn't the underground feed that was cut. It isn't a cut anyway - it's a chunk chopped out well up the wall. The hedge appears to be along the left-hand wall and had just become overgrown against the wall with the phone line.

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 08-Jul-13 12:53:52)

I did see the picture but it wasn't very clear to where it was cut or the location of it or if the cable was attached or loose to the wall.

If he's happy to pay for it, then so be it. But I wouldn't...

Well, the line has been reconnected and the engineer has used cable clips to attach it to the wall. Some of these are not even very well secured into the wall. But at least it is out of the way now.

I am getting the same speeds as before so thats a relief. Just have to wait now and see if they will charge us, which I am guessing they will.

The line was cut. There is no missing section. It was not in any way attached to the wall. It was simply laying on the ground.

So, 'BT' should periodically be going round checking the state of each and every line in the country, get real.

No, it was the OP's doing, he has damaged Openreach line plant, that it was in a tatty state was neither here no there, it was clearly all working fine until Edward Scissorhands started gardening.

If they bill is less only £99, I would be highly surprised.

Well guessing that it was installed before BT existed I reckon there's a fair chance that it was done that way by a government department.

I think the government should issue an apology and pay any bill that arrives.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

So, 'BT' should periodically be going round checking the state of each and every line in the country, get real.

????

If it is their responsibility, it is their responsibility!

But not to go make a visual check on the physical state of exterior cabling, unless called to a fault.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

But not to go make a visual check on the physical state of exterior cabling, unless called to a fault.

But who said anything about going out to it, other than for a fault?

Regardless, however the "fault" was caused, if the cable had not been installed adequately (i.e. adequately protected/buried out the way of "routine" type gardening) it still would be BT's liability!

Certainly, if I was in the OP's position, I would be arguing that if BT tried to charge me!

What makes you think the white wire was installed in that position by an authorised person?

What is that hole to the right that I referred to earlier? It did look to me at the time that it was rather large for a clamp - but perfect for the originally installed wire to have gone through.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

What makes you think the white wire was installed in that position by an authorised person?

What makes you think that I've made any such suggestion?

It is implicit in your statement that it is Openreach's responsibility for it being in a place where it could be damaged. If it was installed in such a place by an unauthorised (by BT or the GPO) person, replacing the original installation, then any repair would obviously be open to charge.

The responsibility for the external cabling (upto the the Main Telephone Point) is BT's.

Unless BT can specifically demonstrate that "any unauthorised modification" was the responsibility of the OP, then I don't see how they can legitimately back-charge the OP.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

The responsibility for the external cabling (upto the the Main Telephone Point) is BT's.

Tell that to BT after a tree or truck has damaged your external cables.

Best of luck with that one. You cut a cable and get Openreach to repair it, you get a charge added to your phone bill. If you are going to dispute it and not going to pay it, best stock up on stamps.

Edited by deleted (Tue 09-Jul-13 21:18:40)

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

The responsibility for the external cabling (upto the the Main Telephone Point) is BT's.

If there is a fault that is true. But if there is damage then it is their responsibility to repair it, but not necessarily their responsibility to pay the cost.

We have had in the past a problem with our broadband that was a faulty filter but did not get charged for that. We will assume the worst and expect a charge on the next BT bill.

I think it's going to depend on the mood the engineer was in, and what he put on the visit report. With a bit of luck you will get away with it, but I reckon the likelihood is you will be charged.

I think it's going to depend on the mood the engineer was in, and what he put on the visit report

Cable bitten through during an attack by sharp toothed vermin?

I don't think anyone from FC has claimed responsibility.

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 10-Jul-13 23:20:16)